Some people like Greece

[Kyriakos]

It is good to know that some people all over Europe, for their own reasons which may not always be easy to decipher, like this country. Last Saturday there were large demonstrations in many european cities to protest the handling of the greek debt.

Also some italian mayors, in a symbolic move, granted their pay to the greek state.

Of course trolling is not only an internet phenomenon, the internet magnifies the petty behaviors of people irl, but said petty behavior exists on its own, regardless of the web. So in the end i suspect that it will become more known that Greece is just the experiment on the eve of the collapse of the current economic system.

I hope things won't get a lot worse. If they do though i am optimistic even then, since the crisis has already done a lot to unite the population, a population hideously split into factions before it. Being apolitical and selfish is no longer the norm, if one judges by the daily demonstrations.

In the end i am an optimist. Even if the crisis has hit me as well (surely publishing houses are less open to new work than they used to be, the market has become smaller as well) but i recall how many writers of old lived and wrote through horrible events, such as WW1 and WW2.

So, i remain hopeful, both for Greece and myself.

In this thread you can express support for the country, although it seems hard to find in this particular forum. Also you can discuss your impressions of the climate in your country for or against it.

I still feel a calmer, less inhumane, voice is needed in this issue.

Greece and Greeks have survived through a lot harder times, such as ww2, when the country fought against Italy, and then Germany. This crisis will pass as well, and even if it means ruining part of the country, it will be rebuilt on stronger grounds.


Link to video.

 

[warpus]

I have nothing against Greece per se, but as a EU citizen I do have very strong opinions on who is responsible for this mess and how to fix it.

I don't think it's a good idea to turn this into a nationalistic issue either.

 

[Godwynn]

Greece and Greeks have survived through a lot harder times, such as ww2, when the country fought against Italy, and then Germany. This crisis will pass as well, and even if it means ruining part of the country, it will be rebuilt on stronger grounds.

Yes, like the time when the Greeks were ruled by a military junta while those barbaric Germans embraced freedom and democracy.

 

[IdiotsOpposite]

What the Greeks need to do now is sacrifice a bit. Austerity now for prosperity later and all that. They have the resources to pull themselves from this crisis, with constructive help of course. They just need to muster the will.

 

[Kyriakos]

I am not against some austerity measures. But i am aware that this country was ruined from the inside and outside, through loans, buying massive amounts of weapons at overpriced deals, and a lot other moves which left it bleeding industrially with factories closing here and opening in the neighboring regions.
I do think this all will end now, but i am not at all sure that the deal made with the EU will end it.
However this thread is not about economy, but thoughts on the country as an entity in the world. The demonstrations all around Europe and elsewhere showed that the 11 mil people here are not on their own, hopefully.

 

[kochman]

Here's to minimizing the suffering that is bound to occur (and already is)...
Hopefully you guys bounce back, and maybe even lead to another amazing era.

 

[Kyriakos]

Here's to minimizing the suffering that is bound to occur (and already is)...
Hopefully you guys bounce back, and maybe even lead to another amazing era.

Thank you

This cannot be like the circular torment of Sisyphus, but more like the death (and deification) of Hercules. I think that even if the political caste is unable to help, the population is more determined now to save the situation.

 

[Lillefix]

This cannot be like the circular torment of Sisyphus, but more like the death (and deification) of Hercules. I think that even if the political caste is unable to help, the population is more determined now to save the situation.

I imagined it was closed to sacrilege for Greeks to refer to Heracles as Hercules.

In any case, I wish all the best for the Greeks, and hope they can get themselves some new and competent politicians.

 

[warpus]

I am not against some austerity measures. But i am aware that this country was ruined from the inside and outside, through loans, buying massive amounts of weapons at overpriced deals, and a lot other moves which left it bleeding industrially with factories closing here and opening in the neighboring regions.

You fail to mention that 1/3rd of the workforce works in public jobs with amazing benefits. That's a huge problem.

 

[Kyriakos]

You fail to mention that 1/3rd of the workforce works in public jobs with amazing benefits. That's a huge problem.

Let's not make it a thread about economy, at least not like that, since a thread about that already exists. And the state sector was ultra-corrupt, but this did not happen by chance either.
Anyway now this is diminishing. Hopefully in the end the state sector will be a lot smaller.

 

[Lillefix]

You fail to mention that 1/3rd of the workforce works in public jobs with amazing benefits. That's a huge problem.

I've heard that the truth is a bit more nuanced than that(the average retirement age for example, is not quite as ridiculously low as people first thought). But of course, inefficiency does play a big part of the problem.

 

[Kyriakos]

I imagined it was closed to sacrilege for Greeks to refer to Heracles as Hercules.

In any case, I wish all the best for the Greeks, and hope they can get themselves some new and competent politicians.

Well considering those people with the latin alphabet demonstrated in favor of us, it was the least i could do

 

[Murky]

I say let them wipe the slate clean and start over. Kick them out of the EU if you have too but don't turn a whole nation into debt slaves.

 

[warpus]

Either way I don't think anyone hates Greece. I can see how some Greeks might think that, given all the criticism.

 

[wilycoyote]

You have a long way to go to be as hated as American. Hope that puts it into perspective!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I've been curious about this for awhile: How much of this current situation can be blamed on the money and resources used to host the Athens Olympics? 'Cause the Games are a huge drain on any country and the host city.

 

[Tahuti]

I've been curious about this for awhile: How much of this current situation can be blamed on the money and resources used to host the Athens Olympics? 'Cause the Games are a huge drain on any country and the host city.

From government finance perspective, the olympics were peanuts. Besides, holding olympics can also have many positive financial effects, such as raised awareness for tourism for example.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I'm not referring to tourism. I mean the side-effects and "collateral damage" of holding the Olympics. For example, some cities end up displacing hundreds, if not thousands of citizens from certain areas of town, either because they're considered an "eyesore" or because they happen to live where the Olympic Committee would like to build either event facilities, some kind of touristy thing, or athletes'/tourists' accommodation. Displacing people tends to make them a tad upset...

 

[azzaman333]

I'm not referring to tourism. I mean the side-effects and "collateral damage" of holding the Olympics. For example, some cities end up displacing hundreds, if not thousands of citizens from certain areas of town, either because they're considered an "eyesore" or because they happen to live where the Olympic Committee would like to build either event facilities, some kind of touristy thing, or athletes'/tourists' accommodation. Displacing people tends to make them a tad upset...

If the Olympics caused countries to fall apart at the seams, surely Australia and China should be completely and utterly screwed as well?

 

[Glassfan]

... Even if the crisis has hit me as well (surely publishing houses are less open to new work than they used to be, the market has become smaller as well) but i recall how many writers of old lived and wrote through horrible events, such as WW1 and WW2.

Let's hope you're not a writer like Anne Frank.

...I do think this all will end now, but i am not at all sure that the deal made with the EU will end it.

Indeed not. Greece has to pay back all of these bailout loans, on top of it's existing debt, while tightening its' purse strings, cutting jobs, and reducing salaries and benefits. I wonder at your optimism...